A female dragon tastes the air on Rinca Island, part of Komodo National Park. Each tine of the forked tongue picks up molecules from prey or carrion to carry to a sensory organ in the mouth. A high concentration guides the way.

An adult dragon hangs out near Komodo village. With people living inside the island’s dragon-protecting national park and poorly marked boundaries for wildlife habitat, encounters with lizards are inevitable. Most end without injury.

Saliva dangling, a dragon shows off its wide strut on Rinca at low tide. The lizard’s spit is venomous, but prey usually die from being torn apart—or, if they are bitten but manage to escape, from infection of their wounds.

Biologists will trap a dragon—lured with goat meat—then draw blood to learn more about its genetic makeup and set the lizard free. The goal is to gather information that will help dragons live in harmony with islanders.

Hatchling dragons scoot up trees and remain there for much of the first year of life. They eat insects, bird eggs, and other lizards—good practice for hunting bigger prey once they leave the safety of the canopy.

Two adult males fight over a female. During mating season a male Komodo dragon whose home turf overlaps with another male’s will sometimes grapple for the right to mate. These are power struggles, not battles to the death. Losers skulk away in defeat; winners pass along their genes.

Adult males tear into a goat on Komodo Island. Dragons share prey if there’s enough to go around but fight if food is scarce. Serious injuries are rare. Like all venomous animals, dragons are immune to their own toxic bite.

The smell of food drew a young dragon to an office kitchen in Komodo National Park. A fear of sticks will drive it out. Encounters rarely lead to injury; still, rangers relocate repeat offenders. They usually find their way back.

Storm clouds darken the Rinca sky during the wet season, from December to March. The months of rain are enough to sustain forests that provide a home to dragon prey. This elderly lizard is probably growing too weak to hunt.